In a week where the National Park Service has been in the news in relation to alleged censorship on Twitter by the Trump Administration, I have been thinking about one of my favourite things in America – the areas of outstanding beauty that are cared for by the agency – and am inspired to write a post reflecting on my experiences in some of America’s most stunning landscapes. I have had the privilege of spending time in many National Parks, and I hope to continue visiting and that they will remain protected for generations to come. As a Brit, I believe the National Park system is one of America’s finest assets – what follows are some of the parks I’ve been to and the pictures I’ve taken whilst there – I hope you agree that these parks are worth protecting and celebrating!

The Grand Canyon, one of the seven wonders of the world, is a mile deep and around 10 miles wide on average. It is awe inspiring, and frankly left me speechless. I was fortunate enough to fly over the canyon in a helicopter – the moment where you come to the edge of the canyon and your stomach does a somersault inside you, your brain can’t comprehend the sheer size of what you’re looking at, so shrinks it down to make it more manageable. The orange/brown rock surrounds you and far below a thin green line winds it’s way through – the mighty Colorado river, a vast and powerful river which from the top of the canyon appears to be only 5cm wide. The individual layers of rock in the canyon glow in the Arizona sunshine and revealing history in front of your very eyes. It truly is astonishingly beautiful.

Less famous than its nearby cousin, Bryce Canyon is no less fascinating. Here, the rock formations stand tall like statues, an army of soldiers on parade, the fading evening light bouncing off the layers to produce an orange flame of colour. These structures are rather pleasingly called ‘hoodoos’ and can be up to 200ft high, formed not by central erosion, but rather by frost weathering and stream erosion. Native Americans developed a myth that the structures were in fact ‘The Legend People’ that the Coyote, a trickster type character, had turned to stone as punishment for being bad. We stood and stared for almost an hour at these pillars of stone rising up from the ground, proud and striking and beautiful.

Zion is Utah’s oldest National Park, and is made up of giant Sandstone cliffs stretching high up above the Virgin River, which runs through the almost 230,000 square miles of wilderness. Climbing up towards the Emerald Pools, the vista of orange and pink rocks contrasted with a bright blue sky stretches out as far as the eye can see; waterfalls cascade down over pathways carved out by centuries of walkers navigating their way around the water, the droplets forming miniature rainbows as the sunlight hits them. Birds of prey circled overhead as we walked upwards, their calls echoing across the vast valley reminding us of the sheer size of the park. Everywhere you look there is wildlife – a deer darting behind a bush as it hears you approaching, squirrels and mice scurrying over the rocks scavenging for food – thanks to the vast difference in elevation across the park, thousands of species thrive here.

The desert is an incredible place, and Death Valley is no exception. This is the hottest, driest and lowest National Park in the country (over 200ft below sea level). We stayed at Furnace Creek towards the end of September, and the temperature during the day got to 114 degrees Farenheit (45.5 degrees Celcius). This sounds horrendous, but it’s a dry heat, which is marginally more manageable than the humidity of the south. However, 10 minutes outside of the car was enough – the sun burned down onto our skin, the wind hot, and the shade absent. The silence is deafening – the air seems to press in on you and not a sound can be heard. The salt flats glow bright white in the distance, with the foreground made up of brown rocks complete with streaks of pinks and yellows and greens, with traces of blue and purple. It’s a bizzarre landscape, and thoroughly captivating.

Travelling from Death Valley to Yosemite is an ear-popping experience in itself, climbing from 200ft below sea level to 10,000ft above it through desert roads and mountain tracks. As you ascend the landscape changes, gradually becoming more green and noticeably cooler until you reach Yosemite, a glorious oasis of trees, lakes and mountains. We found a beach area, with a small tributary of water flowing through it – complete with a Beaver Dam, toothmarks visible in the logs they had dragged across the beach from the trees on the other side of the stream. I felt so small standing at the base of the sheer grey rockface that towered above me, the trees themselves dwarfed by it. We stopped off by a lake surrounded by deciduous trees and large rocks poking their peaks out of the water, a breeze gently blowing the surface of the lake producing a lapping sound at the shore where we stood. We hiked a mile or so down to Tolumne Grove, where the giant Sequoias stand proud and tall, so vast that you can’t see the top, so wide that you can fit a car through the centre. There were some that had fallen, their root systems visible – a single root wider than my thigh. The contrast to Death Valley was stark and the diversity of America’s precious landscape was evident as we visited the parks one by one.

We stayed in the town of Bar Harbor, a lovely coastal town with restaurants serving clam chowder and blueberry pancakes and hotels overlooking the ocean. Acadia National Park is a combination of coastal and mountainous scenery, with Cadillac Mountain being the central feature. We took a drive on the Park Loop, a 27 mile road offering incredible Atlantic Coastal views and a trip to the top of Cadillac Mountain itself. The view over Frenchman Bay from the north end of the park is spectacular, with 4 small weather-beaten islands of land dotted about the water. The cloud hovered over the ocean as the sun struggled to shine through, the white tips of the waves breaking as they hit the rocks of the islands sending spray high into the air. In addition to the beaches and the mountains, Acadia is also 20% Wetland, has more than 20 lakes and ponds and is covered in forest. You don’t get much more diverse than that!

Recently in the news for severe wildfires which completely destroyed the lodge we stayed in, this is the most visited National Park in the US and spans 2 States, Tennessee and North Carolina. The Smoky Mountains are part of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain which runs from Newfoundland in Canada through to central Alabama. We drove up to Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the park at over 6500ft, offering incredible views of the Smokies – the blue hues of the mountain tops stretching for miles all around. The Appalachian Trail, described in hilarious detail by Bill Bryson in his book ‘A Walk in the Woods‘, crosses Clingman’s Dome, making it the highest point of the trail between Maine and Georgia. We actually went up twice – the first day was so foggy that you couldn’t really see further than your hand. The following morning we had another go, and wow, was it worth it! The greenery of the foreground gave way to blue as the moutains silhouetted against each other in the distance, peak after peak rising and falling, with the sun shining intermittently through the fluffy clouds that sped past in the high gusts of wind enveloping the top of the mountain, casting moving shadows over the mountains below. There are 12 endangered or threatened species of mammal, fish, insect and plant life that call this park home – it MUST be protected.

These are just 7 of the 58 National Parks in the USA, and we have been blown away by all of them – the diversity and beauty of America’s natural landscape is incredible and MUST be preserved. I haven’t even mentioned the National Monuments, Recreational Areas, Preserves and Forests that we have been fortunate enough to visit, and the National Park Service looks after each of these (I will just include photos here as I will write about them elsewhere, but they are all too beautiful to leave out!):

This is the America I love. I can’t wait to visit more of these unique wonders of nature. I just hope that the current administration recognises their inherent value and doesn’t destroy them for profit. Here’s to many more years of unspoilt beauty!

Many thanks to the National Park Service for maintaining and preserving American history, nature and wildlife for future generations.

Having been to New York in 2015 (you can read about that trip in another post), and uttering the words, “Mum would hate it here”, I decided a trip to New York with my Mum would be a great plan.

We discovered around 2 years ago that Mum had 1st cousins living in Connecticut (CT) and whilst CT has its own International Airport (Hartford Bradley), flights are at least £100 more expensive than flying to New York, and you can’t fly direct. Seeing as this was Mum’s first Trans-Atlantic flight I didn’t think rushing for transfers would be wise.

New York City is only 2 hours drive from CT, so why not stop off and explore The Big Apple! I had already seen the main sights, but Mum hadn’t so I repeated some experiences. It was so different this time around, taking a little more time, a slightly slower pace. Here are some highlights of our trip.

1. Staying at The Dylan

Picking a hotel is always a challenge. Looking for a central hotel that’s near a Metro station AND reasonably priced is not easy, but we stumbled upon the Dylan, a block away from Grand Central, with breakfast included. It was perfect. A townhouse sitting in the middle of 41st Street, the decor simple but stylish, the rooms comfortable, and the breakfast plentiful, we could be at New York Central Library or 5th Avenue or Grand Central within 5 minutes.

On my last trip, my husband and I stayed at the One UN on 44th Street, directly opposite the UN Headquarters, with a lobby that wows you and raises your expectations when you walk through the doors. There are great views of the city from the rooms, but we didn’t have a great experience! I will write about our 2015 experience at some point, but I enjoyed the Dylan far more, and I would definitely stay there again.

LESSON: Don’t be swayed by swanky. Lovely views are luxury, but how long will you be spending in your room, really? Go for clean, comfortable and convenient every time!

On my last visit to the station, (you can read about it here) we didn’t linger long. With Mum, it became our central hub, where we started out and returned to each day. We spent TIME standing at the top of the steps watching the commuters rushing past. We ate delicious chicken and salad out of a polystyrene box in the food hall, sitting amongst the people of New York; the workers in their suits grabbing a bite and reading the New York Times, the kids shrieking in delight at their phones and munching fries, the homeless people sheltering from the rain and chatting with outreach workers. It was bustling and noisy and chaotic and wonderful.

LESSON: Eating in a restaurant with table service is great, but most definitely not necessary. Sit amongst the natives. Listen to their conversation. Watch through that small window you have into the life of someone who’s experiences are so different to yours.

3. Central Park

On my last trip, in May 2015, New York was HOT. Central Park was awash with bright greens under the bluest of blue skies, wispy cloud floating quietly by. There were hundreds of people in shorts and t-shirts lounging in the grass, snuggling with their partners or playing frisbee with friends, eating ice-creams and applying factor 50.

Not so in March. The trees were bare and the grassy areas fenced off to protect the vulnerable grass. Last Autumn’s brown and orange leaves were blowing limply across the pathways and the sky was heavy with cloud, threatening rain. The chill in the air stung our cheeks and turned our fingers numb, people were wrapped up tightly and music came from the ice rinks as skaters whirled around, falling, laughing, spinning and jumping.

We sat on a bench next to The Pond, watching the birds flit in between trees collecting twigs for their spring nests and a young girl, no more than 20, sieving through dirt next to the water, occasionally throwing bits in and muttering to herself as she worked. A saxophonist played ‘Make Someone Happy’ in the distance and a dog scuffled in the leaves at our feet.

We moved along, pausing to take the occasional photograph or to watch a performer blowing huge bubbles or painting street art. A group of performers had gathered a huge crowd and were big on audience participation. They had 4 or 5 poor souls lined up whilst they shouted and sang and vaulted over them. We watched for a few minutes, then made our hurried exit before we got picked on. An entire morning flew by in this very simple way; people watching, wandering, sitting, taking pictures.

LESSON: Beauty can be found in the glow of summer AND the hardness of winter – appreciate a place as you find it, not as you remember it!

3. The Rock Center Cafe

After our morning in the park, we were hungry. We ate at the Rock Center Cafe as we had tickets to the ‘Top of the Rock’ at 3pm. We sat at the bar for a drink – Mum asked for tea, and he presented an odd arrangement of a pre-poured mug of tea (no teabag), which had an appearance similar to slightly burnt milk, and hot water in a porcelain jug (presumably to weaken the tea even further). Mum was grateful for the hot beverage, but said it tasted like ‘gnat’s pee’. I had coffee, always the wiser choice in the States.

We were shown to a table overlooking the ice rink, which afforded us more fabulous people watching opportunities. 5 skaters in particular caught our eye. They were taking this skating lark very seriously indeed, and there was significant rivalry between them.

‘The Purple Lady’, a delicate woman in a purple figure-skating dress, with grace and style on the ice, adding little flourishes as she glided around the rink practising one element over and over again, clearly frustrated with her perceived failures.

‘Ska-man’ wore a bright turquoise shirt and black trousers, complete with sunglasses and a black Pork-Pie Trilby hat. He included more funky moves and shuffles, too cool for school with his hands either in his pockets, or held loosely behind his back. He pretended no one was looking, but clearly hoped they were.

‘Am Dram’ meant business. Wearing headphones and a vest/trouser combo showing off a toned physique, he was performing to music only he could hear, flicking his head up and raising his arms to an imagined audience. He was full of passion, using all the available space to twirl and dance around the rink, genuinely very good, but clearly showing off. Occasionally, he would come to our edge of the rink, lean up the wall, and engage in the kind of ‘Broadway Musical Number’ breathing where the whole chest and shoulders move up and down.

‘Street’ was sporting an oversized royal blue football jersey paired with baggy jeans. He alternated between speed skating up the straights, then gliding around the corners, arms outstretched with flare and poise. This was his one and only move, but he executed it with style.

‘Dr. Who’ was an older gentleman wearing a beige three quarter length trench coat, undone with the belt flapping as he moved. Halfway through dinner he removed his coat, revealing a tweed jacket, a black shirt and a red silky waistcoast, a fedora completing his look. His style was Sinatra-esque, and he treated us to a personal show of pirouettes and pivots, regularly embellishing by lifting his hat above his head, then spinning it back on with a flick of the elbow. He moved about the ice like a gentleman romancing a lady, even if he did take out the occasional kid in the process.

We spent 2 hours eating that lunch and cherished every minute, laughing at the unexpected theatre that played out before us and enjoying each other’s company.

LESSON: Slow down! Whilst you may not get to see everything, you end up seeing so much more!

5. Top of the Rock

Mum is scared of heights, so to go up a really high building was a challenge. But you can’t go to NYC without going upwards at some point, and soon enough we emerged on the top of the Rockefeller Building, the wind blowing away the cobwebs and New York City sprawled before us.

This was a new experience for both Mum and me as I didn’t have time on my last trip. I was captivated. In terms of views, I think it is better than the Empire State Building; on one side you have a fabulous view of Central Park with its straight edges and high-rise frame, on the other a view of the Empire State, standing tall and unmistakable, piercing the sky with its antenna. I had expected the Rockefeller to be the poor relation of the ESB, but not so. The ESB is iconic, and I think a first-timer should definitely get up there – but for views, you just can’t beat the Rock.

LESSON: Don’t let your expectations dictate your decisions. On my last trip, we didn’t make time for the Rockefeller because we perceived that it wasn’t as good as the ESB. Prepare to be pleasantly surprised – sometimes the things you least expect can produce some of your favourite memories.

We managed to fit a lot in to our 3 night stay, far more than covered here, yet it was wonderful to experience New York at a slightly slower pace – I appreciated the city far more and now I can’t wait to go back and experience more of what New York has to offer.

The infamous skyline appeared over the horizon as we approached the Lincoln Tunnel, and excitement welled up within me. I was filled with anticipation at what the city had in store for us but we only had 2 nights, which is NOT long enough to see New York in all its splendour.

This is a review of our itinerary; what worked and what we could have done better – I hope it helps you plan your trip!

Day One: 2.30pm – Midnight

1. Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central is far more than just a railway station. It’s a core part of New York’s identity, featured in a million movies (probably), and it doesn’t disappoint. A place where you can observe the fast-paced life of a city in action, this impressive building and its tremendous people-watching potential is a great place to centre yourself for a tour of the city.

TIP: You can combine your visit to Grand Central with a meal in the huge food court downstairs if time is of the essence – they do great chicken!

2. Central Park

We walked from Grand Central down 5th Avenue to Sheep Meadow in Central Park, which took about 30 minutes. Now it may seem obvious but Central Park is a must-see, and it’s vast at 2.5 miles long and half a mile wide. You could easily spend a whole day there, but with such little time the most interesting thing for me was the famous image of the high rises around the straight edges of the park. I love the juxtaposition of nature and city in such close proximity, giving the sense of peace and tranquility all the while enlivened by the knowledge that the city is right there, waiting for you to emerge refreshed.

TIP: Head to Sheep Meadow as it’s a great viewpoint for the park and city, and you can chill out for a while with the locals.

3. Coffee at Cafe Lalo

For those of you familiar with the 90s movie ‘You’ve Got Mail’, this is the setting where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan meet up. As a big Tom Hanks fan, I wanted to go and have coffee here, and you know what? I’m really glad we did. The cafe sits on an otherwise residential street off Broadway on 83rd Street and is a Parisian style patisserie. It’s all wooden inside with an antique cash register and a selection of desserts, pastries and cakes to make your mouth water. The sun was shining, we were thirsty, and we sat in the large open window sipping raspberry lemonade in the thriving atmosphere. It was wonderful. I would heartily recommend it, however, if it’s just a drink you want and aren’t obsessed with visiting movie sets like me, there are closer places to go.

TIP: If you’re really in a rush, you can pick up some water and a hotdog from a street vendor and eat in the park.

4. Empire State Building

We’d had enough walking, so caught the metro Red Line from 79th to 34th Street with the aim of getting to the top of the ESB before the sun began setting. One of the most iconic buildings in the world, the Empire State has somehow managed to maintain its infamy despite not being anywhere close to the world’s tallest building for many years now. The Empire State is iconic and, whilst there are other options to see the view, if this is your first time in the city, I would say do it.

TIP: Buy tickets online before you go to save time in queues, and go up an hour before sunset and watch the sun go down from the top. Once you’re up there, you can stay as long as you want, so wrap up warm and watch night fall over Manhattan. It’s honestly one of my favourite memories of all time!

5. Times Square

Having watched darkness descend, it was time for some neon. Times Square is only just over half a mile from the Empire State Building, so we walked. We spent a little while in front of one of the big screens trying to get our face on it, which was not normally the sort of thing we would go for – but it was so much fun and I’m glad we did. Here is a picture of our achievement:

It took about 20 minutes to centre ourselves in the heart We are the bespectacled pair right in the middle. What winners we are.

TIP: Climb to the top of the red steps on Father Duffy Square for a perfect viewpoint to people-watch and gawp at the neon.

6. Dinner at Planet Hollywood

We were in a very crowded Times Square at 9pm, and we were hungry. We had come upon a $10 voucher for Planet Hollywood, so in we went. We didn’t have great expectations, and perhaps that played in the restaurant’s favour, but the service was great and our meal remains one of my favourites on our trips! I had a beautiful salad with a perfect balance of flavour, and I’ve recreated it several times at home. It was kind of fun, too, surrounded by all the memorabilia – sometimes it’s the unexpected things that prove to be the best!

TIP: If you leave eating until a little later, you won’t have to wait for a table and it will save you valuable time.

Day Two: Full Day in New York City

7. Helicopter Ride

So this is a little unusual for a 2 night stay, granted, but it was a birthday present from me to my husband. It was a misty day, but New York still delivered in the haze, and hovering over the Statue of Liberty was wonderful – a truly unique viewpoint.

TIP: If you only have 2 days, don’t take the helicopter unless it is a specific dream that you’ve always wanted to fulfil. It will take up a whole morning, and is really expensive. If you decide to do it, book ahead online to avoid disappointment and arrive in plenty of time. The experience will take up almost half a day for a 45 minute flight, so you need to factor that in to your planning.

8. Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

We headed towards Battery Park to catch the boat to the Statue of Liberty. What trip to NYC would be complete without a trip to the Statue of Liberty? Once again a must-see on a first trip to the city, an iconic symbol of America standing tall and proud, guarding the gateway to the USA from Europe. We went up to the crown; 354 steps to the top, and whilst you can get a lift up to the pedestal level there’s no lift up to the crown. It’s a very narrow, steep spiral staircase leading up through the body of the statue and I was exhausted at the top, where you can peer out of small windows whilst experiencing the muscle burn of lactic acid, biding your time before your descent.

TIP: Buy your tickets online in advance. This way you can skip the queues and save a lot of time. Crown tickets cost more, and involve significant physical exertion for what I would argue is minimal gain (and a whole world of pain if you’re as unfit as I am). If time is of the essence, I wouldn’t bother – pedestal tickets are just as good and there is a lift! The whole experience, including Ellis Island, can take around 3-4 hours, so plan accordingly.

9. A quiet night in

We were shattered after Lady Liberty, and headed back to the hotel to plan our evening. In the end, the rain closed in and it absolutely threw it down – we really wanted to go and see Brooklyn Bridge, and initially it felt like a ‘waste of time’ to stay in, but we sat at the window of our hotel overlooking the Empire State and Crysler Buildings, and watched the world go by from the 32nd floor as the sound of the rain hammered against the slanted glass. It was fabulous.

TIP: Go with the flow. Even if you don’t have loads of time, sometimes saying no to one thing means you can experience something else. You’re never going to see everything in 2 days, so do what is right for you – every experience will leave you with valuable memories that can never be replaced.

Day Three: 11am – 2pm

9. Ground Zero

We still hadn’t seen the 9/11 Memorial so we took the Metro to Wall Street and walked around the corner to Ground Zero. We found the memorial to be really well thought out and rather beautiful, and it’s a very peaceful and reflective place. We crammed this visit in, but I am so pleased that we did. These days, you can go up the One World Trade Centre, but back then it was still being built. Make time to see this memorial if you can. It’s worth it in my opinion.

TIP: There are museums and exhibits that can take time and cost money, but a visit to the Memorial itself is free and is a way to save on time if you don’t mind missing a deep look into the events of 9/11.

So 2 nights in New York. Not ideal, but I hope I’ve shown that it’s possible to do a lot in New York even when time is tight and given you some tips to make even more use of your time than we did!

We love travelling in the USA. Why? Well there are many reasons that I’m sure we will come to in later posts – but how did we come to want to go back to the same country over and over?

Well, Darren and I got married in September 2012, and when we were looking at honeymoons way back in March 2012, a dream I had held for a long time began to surface. I had basically forgotten about it, but the dream had lay dormant for 15 years.

In 1996 my friend and I had decided it would be a fun idea to go on a holiday together – so we were looking at going to Euro Disney. We had already seen the hotel we wanted and when we wanted to go – but my friend’s Dad heard about our plans and wasn’t happy with how much it was costing. He reckoned we could go to Disney World in Florida for almost the same amount of money – and perhaps the whole family could go along too?

I have had a long-standing love affair with the US. I don’t really know when it started. I love movies, am fascinated by the Apollo Space Programme and space exploration and am a big Tom Hanks fan. So I spent a lot of time growing up reading about American history in space books and watching American films. I began to dream of going there, but financially it was never going to happen. Then all of a sudden, I was going to Florida. I can’t tell you how excited I was.

So in August 1996, off we went. I had the most amazing time in Disney World, Epcot, Busch Gardens, and (the best bit) the Kennedy Space Centre. It was a dream come true and left me hungry for more. This is a hideously awful photo of me aged 17 (complete with Harry Potter specs and dreadful shorts – hey – it was really hot, ok!) at the Kennedy Space Centre. You can just make out the Shuttle Atlantis STS-79 that launched in September 1996 on the launch pad:

By the way, for all you space geeks out there (no? Just me then!) – this Shuttle was the only one to ever be rolled back to the Assembly building twice due to bad weather – so we missed the launch by 2 weeks (sad face).

Darren had also been to the States before, but for him it was New York. In fact, it was the first time he had left the UK. He visited the Twin Towers (he went in the February of 2001), Times Square, Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty amongst other places. This is him looking cold in New York. You can see the twin towers in the skyline behind him:

Now fast-forward to early 2012. I began to dream again about our honeymoon. At first I wanted to go to New England in Autumn. We researched it, and it was way above our budget. Gutted.

Then we found Complete North America, based in Nottingham where we live. They were brilliant and we found that we could afford to go to the west of the US. So we got to planning our trip.

The dream was alive! The wedding was amazing. The honeymoon was fantastic – you can read more about that particular road trip in other posts to come.

The trouble with travelling is that once you start you can’t stop. It is way worse than Pringles. I had the USA bug & couldn’t wait to go back again. I started to dream again and this time, Route 66 was the focus of my attention. I read up all about the Route and its history – I even watched Cars the Movie from Disney Pixar. Anything that had a link to Route 66, I lapped up.

Then we booked it! In January 2013, we booked our Route 66 journey for September 2013. We were going Stateside again! I spent the next 8 months on Google maps, following the Route and checking out what we simply must see (what can I say – I’m a total geek. I love maps and learning and reading and studying and all that jazz).

Needless to say, it was fabulous. We had an incredible time, saw some amazing things, met some fascinating people and took thousands of photos.

So, long story short – except it’s too late as you’ve already read this far – our passion for road-tripping in the USA was born. We have clocked up thousands of miles driving across the country and have visited 11 States in 2 years. It is an incredible country – so diverse and so so huge!

I love stories and photographs, and we were so pleased with the pictures that we took. We wanted to share those stories and photographs with you wonderful people and give you the opportunity to own them yourselves to make your homes all pretty with reminders of where you’ve been or where you dream of going.

What follows are the stories from those road trips. I shall start with Route 66 as it lends itself to story in such a beautiful way. I hope you enjoy reading – and I hope it will inspire you to get road-tripping yourself!

There will be stories from the road as well as features about destinations – and there will even be dreams – what we’re hoping to do in the future.